The Project
The Accessible Quality Healthcare (AQH) project is funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by Swiss TPH.
The second phase of the AQH project started in January 2020 and will continue until December 2023.
AQH project is designed to support the implementation of the national reform agenda and complement other donor-supported programmes with a focus on the Primary Health Care (PHC) level and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
With its three outcomes the project aims to stimulate use of quality primary health care services by all Kosovo citizens, with particular attention to the needs and inclusion of socially vulnerable populations.
The health of the population of Kosovo has improved, with strengthened healthcare providers and managers able to meet the needs of the patients (especially vulnerable groups), who are more aware of their rights and needs.
Outcome 1: primary health care providers in project municipalities deliver quality services that respond better to communities’ needs, including those of vulnerable groups.
Outcome 2: health managers in project municipalities improve their performance in guiding service delivery towards continuous quality improvement that responds to communities’ needs.
Outcome 3: health awareness and care seeking behavior of the population in project municipalities improves (in particular of vulnerable groups) and communities are empowered to demand the right to quality services and better access to care.
Better targeting of clients’ needs and improved management of services will raise the quality of primary health service delivery on the one side, while on the other side, generating demand for quality primary health services, by involving populations in shaping the services, will together lead to increased rational utilization of all health services and improved health status of the population.
Target groups of the AQH project
- Doctors and nurses from 20 Main Family Health Centres (MFMCs)
- Doctors and nurses from Family Medicine Centres (FMCs)
- Managers from 20 Municipalities (Directorates of Health and Social Welfare and their support staff)
- Managers from 20 MFMC and selected FMCs
- Selected community based organizations
- Ministry of Health officials
- National PHC institutions
- Patients’ Rights organizations
Key working principles for AQH are:
- Partnership working with municipalities
- Harmonization, complementarity and national ownership of the project
- Participatory planning and implementation through existing national and decentralized partners
- Mainstreaming gender equality and social inclusion of the most vulnerable, especially Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian (RAE) communities
- Ensure functional governance through improved modalities of decision-making, participation and accountability
- Knowledge sharing for replication, scale-up and sustainability
- Knowledge sharing through peer-learning
- Building on the existing transition experience from other SDC-funded health projects
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Kosovo coordinates its programs through the Embassy of Switzerland / Swiss Cooperation Office in Kosovo. Starting with humanitarian assistance in 1998, Switzerland’s cooperation with Kosovo has increasingly been shifted to supporting reform processes. The Swiss program portfolio is organized in four main domains: 1. Democratic Governance and Human Security, 2. Economy and Employment, 3. Water and Climate Change Resilience and 4. Health. The AQH project is part of the Health domain.
